Magic and Mayhem
by Belsidat
Summary: Rikku-fic! Chapter 6, New Charachter! More hints as to Janko's background, and a Kimarhi guest appearence!
1. Making a snap decisionprologue

I don't own FFX, ro any of the charachter's therein, or the concepts of Spira and the like, however the character's I've put together on my own are mine, please don't steal 'em.  
  
This is my first posting here! *wheee* I've written fanfics before, but only a few, and mostly for friends. So, without much to say, here you go!  
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Magic and Mayhem(prologue)  
  
"Phodnih! Cyyg Oud!" Rikku shouted as the large craddle swayed dangerously near the large Stained Glass windows of the Luca dockside storefront. Her brother was the one behind the controls of the crane, and he was doing a poor job of it!  
"Aie! Rikku!" he shouted back, pulling on levers so fiercely the machina's metallic keening and the belch of black smoke seemed almost like cries of pain. The Crane's boom swung back and Rikku could only duck and cover as the craddle crashed through the storefront, sending glass flying and scattering the crowd that had gathered to watch the unloading.  
"Pdodnih! Ayo Utuyd!" Rikku called up as she dusted glass fragments off her shoulders and her hair. Throwing up her hands Rikku stormed away, leaving her dumbfounded brother to deal with a very angry shopkeep.  
It had only been a couple months since the pilgramage and the battle with Sin. The world was still in a state of shock, but it was a joyous shock, one of growth and building. The same could not be said for the 'heros' of the Calm. They'd all gone their seperate ways soon after Yuna's speech. Some like Yuna simply had so much to do, others like Kimahri had much to catch up on with old aquaintences and relatives. But they all shared a common bond, they were trying to forget. They'd all come so far, and tried so hard. In the end they'd found a way and won, no one had to die. Rikku had been so happy for that short moment in time when Sin finally died. Yuna was still here, she didn't have to die. All because of Tidus' unwillingness to give up. Tidus... The thought stung Rikku and brought her up short so quickly that a bustling tourist almost ran her over. Rikku sidestepped and kept closer to the side of the walkway as she continued her aimless wandering.  
It was just so unfair! They did everything right and he was still gone... Rikku hadn't been able to breathe when she first saw Tidus shimmering atop the airship. She hadn't been able to call out, hadn't been able to move like Yuna had. She had wanted to jump right after him. Death would have been fine, just to have a few more minutes with that eternally encouraging smile. It was beyond her control though, beyond all their control. When the dreamers had stopped their dreaming, Tidus, who had come from their dream, had vanished. Rikku, like the others kept up a brave face during the festivities, then buried herself in work. With the Church losing much of it's power, Machina were in demand and the Al behd had found new power in supplying them to the hungry populace. As a well known face Rikku was important to her people as a go between to the Machina-illiterate people of Spira. It helped... sometimes... it helped her to forget.  
Rikku looked up, where had she walked to? The bright glow of a tavern sign greeted her. The purple letters were shifting against the black background of the sign. Yet another of the magical 'oddities' that had been popping up lately. It was never anything big, but alot of small every day spells had been behaving oddly lately. Putting it from her mind, Rikku pushed past the curtains of the tavern and entered its dimly lit interior. The smell of smoke and alcohol hung thick in the air, several eyes turned towards her as she entered but Rikku put on her best 'Don't mess with me' look, and flexed her fingers, causing the blade of her arm- knife to extend and retract a few inches. The eyes quickly left her.  
Rikku perched on a bar stool, folded her arms on the counter and chased the bartender off with a sour look. Being alone with her thoughts was the last thing she wanted right now, but it also seemed to be the thign she was trying the hardest to do. Visons of Tidus, the smell of his hair when they'd ridden together on those snowmobiles, Rikku had held on just a touch more tightly than nessecary that time all came back to her. That smiling face hung in the air before her eyes. Rikku shook her head angrilly and ground her knuckles into her temples,"Stupid Stupid Rikku, stop thinking about him." Spinning quickly on her stool, as if to try and throw the visions from her mind Rikku scanned the other patrons of the tavern. Why was she here? She couldnt't drink, this was the knid of place parents warned ther kids about. Haggered looking travelers and shadey louts sat one or two to a table, none of them looking at each other.  
Rikku did a doubletake, one of them caught her eye. For a moment she had though it was Auron; that thought brought another pang of loss. But no, it wasn't him. Shorter, not much taller than Rikku herself, dark black hair that laid back; and in the dim light looked almost like feathers. A face that was.. older and yet somehow not, with pale skin and broad cheekbones. His eyes were closed and so Rikku didn't know enough to make that comparison. Powerfully built, he was probably stronger than Auron, maybe even Kimahri. He was dressed in a coat similar to Auron's, but black, and with short, battered metal shoulder plates. After her first look Rikku had to admit, he didn't really LOOK anything at all like Auron, it was just his presence. As he sat leaned back, perhaps sleeping, with his boots proped up on the table. There was a quiet pride around him. A sense of powerful professionalism that hung about... Blue, a subtle questioning blue, not too deep but still holding something back. Rikku let out a small 'eep' He'd opened his eyes and was looking right at her!  
Caught staring Rikku felt the blush rise in her cheeks. The man quirked a small smile, not a sneer like she might have expected from someone here, but one with as much a question as his eyes held. 'Oh, why the hell not, being alone right now sucks' Rikku thought as she boosted herself off her stool and wound her way through the tables to the one the man was seated at,"Umm, hi." She said, feeling stupid as the words left her lips. The sudden urge to fiddle with her braids came over her but Rikku fought it down.  
Those broad shoulders rolled in what might have been a shrug and the man spoke, his voice deep for one his size, and holding a thick sort of warmth, the kind you could curl up in, "Evening miss. Something I can help you with?" That smile remained perched on his lips, disarmingly infectuous. Rikku felt hself smiling back at him nervously, something she hadn't done in a long time,"Umm no sorry. I just. I sort of came here to, I dunno get away, didn't mean to stare." Why was she telling him this?  
"No problem, looks are free." he responded lightly,"Name's Janko, if you want one to go with the face."  
"oh, umm mine's Rikku." The answer slipped from her lips,"What brings you to Luca?" Did she even really care? Probably not, but Rikku wanted to keep the words flowing, it kept the thoughts still, even if his smile was alot like Tidus's.  
"Travelin'. Trying to find my way to Mt. Gagazet, but havin' a hellava time finding it."  
Rikku did some quick mental math and nodded,"Yeah, being in the completely wrong part of the world; you would." She pointed out,"Why're you going there?" Rikku took hold of a chair and spung it around, sitting on it backwards with her arms folded over the back.  
Janko sat up, slipping his feet off the table,"Well, s'gonna sound silly, but I've got to go there to save Spira."  
That one earned him an odd look and dropped him down a few notches in her mind, "Say what? Sin's dead you know? The calm's here and the world's fine now. You gotta be pretty out of the loop to not know that."  
Her words didn't take that half smile from his face, instead they brought out a gentle jovial chuckle,"Yeah I know Sin's dead, but you didn't think that nothing else could ever crop up did ya?" His calm demenor threw Rikku off. Most of the time nuts were much more boisterous.  
"But we just killed Sin ya know? What could possibly be a problem this quick?" Her own voice sounded whiney to her and Rikku bit her tounge tip. If he noticed Janko didn't comment though, he just spoke softly in his reply.  
"Fraid so, though, this things' been a long time in the brewing, and it'll be a long time putting right. S'not something you can throw alot of people at either. So, I'm on my own."  
Rikku thought about her reply for a moment, not wanting to sound stupid, but the curiosity ate at her,"okay so what is it then?" she prompted, squirming a touch in her seat. Maybe it was something exciting, a new adventure!  
"It's the magic." he gestured with a casual slowness back towards the door of the tavern,"I'm sure ya saw the sign out there? Just little bits now, but it'll get worse. Somethin's upset the source, gotta set it right."  
"The Source?" Rikku was lost again, what was the source of magic? She'd only studied a little of it when traveling with Lulu and Yuna, but they'd never mentioned it.  
He must've seen the curiosity on her face, or maybe he'd planned it from the beginning,"Tell you what." he offered,"You get me headed the right way to Mt. Gagazet, and I'll explain everything."  
"Mt. Gagazet? but that's a long way off, even if we get my dad's airship!" Still, the idea had dug itself deep into her curious mind and was proding her foreward,"It'd take even longer without it.."  
"It's a long story." He countered,"Long trip means plenty of time for the telling." Janko pushed himself to his feet, and turned for the door. Yeah, there it was, that same sort of casual confidence. He didn't even look back to see if she followed. Not that he had to, Rikku admited with a wry grin, she was hooked. Determined to regain some footing she poked him square in the back as she raced past him... mmm muscles... "C'mon slowpoke!" she called, turning and laughing,"Better get some supplies for the trip." With that Rikku raced back towards the markets, her mind racing with what might lay ahead.  
  
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For those dieing to know Rikku's two lines of Al-behd are 'Brother, Watch out!' and 'Brother, you Idiot!'  
  
So there's the beginning of something much bigger, This is my first tempt at 'quasi' fanfiction. I'm stealing Rikku and a few bits of the FF world, but trying to introduce alot of new charachters and keep the story self contained. It's my halfway point between Fanfiction and true original fiction, which I'm not ready to try just yet!  
  
Review away please, bless or curse me, the more I hear the more I can improve. Chapter 1 should have more to it, and devlop the plot nicely. Oh, expect decent sized chapters, I'm a fairly verbose writer. 


	2. To Mt Gagazet!

Here we go, Chapter 1, prepped and ready.  
  
Oh, I STILL don't own FFX, or any of it's concepts, just to be clear ;)  
  
So far it's mostly a Rikku story, though there's some forlorn Tikku pining involved ;) ____________________________________________________________________________ ______  
  
Magic and Mayhem  
Chapter 1:To the Mountain!  
  
"C'mon Dad! You know I wouldn't be asking if it wasn't important!" Rikku shifted from foot to foot, she knew that dissaproving look on her father's face way too well. Still she had to try. Janko was buying food and provisions for a longer journey if they needed them. But Rikku figured it was worth trying to hitch a ride on the airship even if it was a longshot.  
"Rikku, you know the Airship is busy these days. We have to fill orders for our Machina all over Spira. What's so important that I should upset dozens of customers?"  
Rikku fidgeted, this was the sticky part, and it wasn't even her fault!,"I dunno exactly dad, I just know it's important, so, c'mon, just trust me?" Rikku put on her best 'moogle eyes' face.  
Her father looked almost on the point of breaking, and before the calm, when the al behd were more inventive recluses than merchants, he probably woudl have. As it was he shook his head slowly,"If it's something that Serious Rikku, you can tell me what it is, otherwise I just can't stall our people's main source of income on a hunch. It's going to take alot of money to rebuild Home."  
Rikku knew he was right, still, his raining on her newly stoked adventuresome fires was annoying,"Fine then!" she groused, throwing up her hands,"Well, We'll just take the long way, I'll be back when I'm back, See if you can make any money with Brother runnnig the crane by himself!" Having left her father slightly speechless, Rikku took that moment to bolt out of the inn, pausing only to snatch up her multi-pouch.  
  
* * *  
  
"What are you doing with *THAT*?" Rikku couldn't believe her eyes. Her would be travel partner was carrying a huge pack on his back. Complete with external frame, the thing looked like it must weigh seventy pounds, if not eighty.  
Janko shifted the pack on his shoulders and glanced up over his glasses at it. Yeah, he wore glasses, little rectangular wireframe ones, 'for reading' he said. Still it was another similarity to Auron, both unsettling and endearing at the same time,"It's a pack, you know, you keep things in it when you travel?"  
"You don't have a multi-pouch?" Rikku patted the one she kept strapped to her thigh,"They're not that expensive, if you need one I could buy one for you." Mutli-pouches were so usefull, any serious traveler had one. You could put so many things in, then just stick your hand in and get out what you were looking for. Rikku didnt' know exactly what spells worked on it, but she wasn't one to complain. Hey own pouch held a whole mess of inventions she had left half finished.  
"Not interested." Janko said, turning with the creak of straps across his backpack,"Never trusted them. I like to be able to see everything I'm carrying. You need anything else?"  
Rikku ran down her mental checklist,"nah, I think I got it." She eyed Janko up again, he wasn't more than a couple inches taller than her. But easily twice as wide, if not more across the shoulders."Hey, where's your weapon?" Rikku asked,"We're bound to run into trouble in the Calm lands." Rikku held up her own arm-blade to emphasize her point.  
"Ahh, I'm armed enough, besides, you're the hero arn't you? Defeater of Sin? you'll protect me." a low chuckle rumbled up from his chest and Rikku felt a blush rising in her cheeks, twice in the same day!  
"Yeah, well, then you'd better do as I say, Remember I'm the guide, so don't go wandering off on your own ya know?" Rikku chucked Janko on the shoulder, his mass didn't give an inch, but Rikku didn't miss a beat,"we're going to catch a boat to Bevelle, then across the Calm lands to Mt. Gagazet." Rikku started walking then turned around, walking backwards as she spoke, leading Janko to the docks,"So, isn't it about time you told me a little more about why we're going there?"  
Janko shifted his back in the shoulder roll Rikku had allready come to notice when he was trying to make whatever he was about to say sound less important,"What do ya know about the source of magic?" he asked, pitching his voice down enough so that not too many people overhead on the busy street.  
"Source of Magic?" Rikku leaned foreward, even as she walked backward, her curiosity peaking.  
"That's what I thought." Janko raised his left hand, palm up, the spark of a fire spell smouldered above his palm,"Magic is one of those things that people just asume works. It's there, you use it. Not many these days ask WHERE it comes from. Aeons used to come from a dreamer, well magic comes from the source."  
Rikku found herself studying the fire spell, the curl of the flames easily hypnotizing like any fire. But she blinked it off after a moment, realizing she'd stopped wakling. She spun herself around and fell in step beside Janko, leaning in to continue the conversation,"So, then, what is it?"  
"Good question." Janko closed his hand, snuffing out the fire spell,"I've no idea, I know where it is though. It's down, down underground, buried deep in the heart of Spira, not nearly as big as it once was."  
"okay, so, it's in the middle of Spira, we dont' know what it is, but it's why magic is starting to get funny, and it's gonna destroy Spira eventually if we don't set it right." Rikku counted off on her fingers as she spoke off the various points,"Ummm, so did I miss anything?"  
"Not much." Janko didn't seem to catch her sarcasm, "Just the part about we, *I* have to do it, the fewer people that go through on this the better. It ain't gonna be easy."  
"Aww come on!" Rikku protested,"Get real, hey, which one of us here has saved Spira once allready hmm?" She poked Janko's arm a few more times,"If you think you're just gonna dump me off when we get to Gagazet, you're wrong!" Rikku paused a moment,"hey, why *are* we going to Mt. Gagazet anyway? If this Source of magic is down, why would we climb a mountain?"  
The ploy seemed ot have worked, too many questions for him to answer all at once,"There's another guide at Gagazet. The Ronzo know how to get to the next leg of the journey. there's nothing we can do to fix the source now. It's too big, once it gets movin' there's nothing we can do. We've got to stop it being upset in the first place."  
"Stop it being upset?" Rikku knew she was sounding clueless, but well, this guy wasn't making a whole lot of sense,"How do you plan on doing that?" Rikku dodged around a dockworker with way too many boxes in his hands and turned to head down a dock,"This is our ship." She pointed out, somewhat redundently. The boat itself was a Spirran one, not Al behd. It used sails and chocobo power to move, though this one was smaller than alot of the passenger ships. Rikku hadn't saved much money from her adventuring days, so it was the best she could afford. Janko himself seemed fairly poor. Rikku wondered how he had actually expected to get to Mt Gagazet on his own.  
"That's a secret I'll keep for the time being." The dock creaked as Janko stepped onto it. He flashed as wry smile as he glanced over his glasses at Rikku,"Isn't it about time you started telling me a little bit about you?"  
Rikku hopped onto the gangplank, then vaulted lightly onto the ship's rail. A couple crewmen started approaching them and Rikku used them to divert the conversation,"Later, let's get ourselves settled in, and find out if we have to pay for a third fare for that bag of yours."  
  
* * *  
  
Rikku rolled the sphere between her hands, mulling over her message a few more times. She thought she had it down now, but she didn't like using these things, they made her self concious. Closed away in her cabin aboard the cutter, all by herself, talking to a glass bauble. Shaking down her nerves Rikku squeezed the sphere, activating it and held it up in front of her,"HeyWakka, bet you didn't expect to hear from me this soon didja?" Rikku put on a giggle that was more nervous than she really wanted,"How's Lulu these days? I heard you guys spent some time helping rebuild Killik before heading home. I've been busy myself trying to keep my dad in line with his grand schemes of spreading Machina all over Spira." Rikku rolled her eyes, starting to feel a little more relaxed,"Look, I'm not gonna be around for a bit I don't think. I don't want you all worrying, and tell Yunie not to worry either. I'd have sent her one of these too, but I only had one right now and thought she might be too busy to look at it right away." Rikku picked up the sphere and turned, showing the cabin around her. "I'm going on another trip. Guess beating Sin just wasn't enough for me ya know?" Rikku turned the sphere back, "Yeah, but seriously, I think I need this. Yunie's got her work, you two got each other, and Kimahri.. well, he's Kimahri. I just haven't found my way of really dealing with." Rikku felt a catch in her throat and swallowed her words, only getting out,"Stuff.." in a quiet sullen sort of tone. Rikku was quiet for a moment, then shook herself and finished off perkily again,"so just dont' worry about me okay? You two take care of each other. I'll write again and tell you all about the trip when it's done." Rikku gave her little 'victory arm pump' and squeezed the sphere again, turning it off.  
"There we go, now you just stay safe untill we get to Bevelle." Rikku tucked the sphere into her pouch and looked about her room. Traveling on a ship when you didn't know anybody was kind of wierd, alot of people you felt awkward around and no place to go except your cabin. "Well, might as well get to know more 'bout this guy I'm supposed to save the world with." Rikku wondered briefly at why on earth she was here, but the answer was right there. Just like she told Wakka, she needed... something. Rikku reflexively looked around her room, then reached down into her vest and withdrew a small piece of paper. It was called a photograph, something she'd uised a salvaged machina to make. Rikku craddled it in her hands tenderly. The edges were a little worn, but the picture on it was still clear. Tidus, posing after scoring a goal at the Blitzball Championships. Rikku resisted the urge to curl her fingers tightly around the photo as much as she wanted to hold it's subject. Instead she very carefully smoothed it out again, blinking away blurs across her vision as she tucked it carefully back into her vest. Her breath wouldn't slow, the quick heaves making redoing the clasps difficult.  
  
*crash*  
  
The squeeling whien of wood snapped Rikku's head up, the ship lurched under her feet, only the narrowness of her cabin allowed her to brace her arms against the walls and keep from falling. Another lurch and voices started yelling in alarm on deck. Rikku staggered to her door; pushing it open she stumbled up to the decks.  
One word stood out among the shouts as sailors scrambled around the decks; lashing themselves to whatever they could find. "SIN!" Several had taken up the cry and were pointing back behind the cutter. Rikku sprinted to the aft decks, slipping as the ship shuddered violently again, but pushing off the rail to keep upright. It couldn't be sin, sin was dead!  
Well, it wasn't Sin, though the fact didn't reassure Rikku much. It was a horrible looknig fish beast, alot like the one they'd encountered in the underwater temple of the Fayth. Less skeletal though, it's bloated body sporting two bulbous eyes and a myriad of tentacles. It could easily crush the whole ship if it caught up. But it was still a few hundred yards so what was...? The ship lurched again, throwing Rikku against the railing hard. Bent nearly in two she saw the problem. A huge horde of slippery spined fish monsters each the size of a legless chocobo were pressed in tightly around the cutter, thrashing and flopping over each other. The whole mass moved, and the little cutter was rocked, dangerously close to being swamped.  
"Sin!" yet another crewman called, gaping at the fish beast.  
"It's not Sin!" Rikku yelled back,"it's just some dumb monster!" not that it still couldn't kill them just as dead. She had to figure out how to stop it. Where was Ja... Rikku ducked as something blurred towards her. One of the smaller fish monsters had jumped the cutter, nearly running itself into her head. Others began jumping too, sending the crew diving for cover. Rikku snapped out her arm-blade and sliced open the side of one as it lept past her. The thing twisted midair and flopped once heavily on the deck before bursting into pyreflies. The act seemed to bring the crew to life. Harpoons, hooks, and other weapons were brought up, trying to prod the beasts away from the ship. Rikku spared a glance back at the larger monster, it didn't seem to be gaining too badly, before turning to make her way forewards again. Jump back, slash. Spin, duck, jab. Each time her blade swung out another monster exploded into shimmering lights.  
These things weren't any real challenge to a seasoned adventurer alone, but so many of them just couldn't be beaten all at once. The Captain was yelling something from the bridge but Rikku couldn't hear over the yells of the other crew and the creaking of the boat. Rikku jabbed one of the fish from the air, a little too hard. and jammed the end of her weapon into the main mast of the cutter. The monster wiggled twice before dissolving but she couldn't pull it out! Rikku lifted her right foot, bracing, and pulled frantically, she couldn't be a sitting duck here. The weapon came free, but the effort stagered Rikku for a critical moment. She caught the movmeent out of the corner of her eye too late, turning to see snapping jaws inches from her head.  
But it stopped. The fish maw gaping less than two inches from her face before being tugged back. Janko held the thing just below the jaw in one gloved hand,"Careful hero, even ants can bring down a lion." he squeezed and a wet snap came from the fish monster before it faded out.  
Rikku opened her mouth, tro say what she wasn't exactly sure, but a startled cry interrupted her. One of the crewmen took a hit square in the chest, stumbling backwards over the rail and down into the water below. There was no thought to it, Rikku ran for the edge of the ship and dived in after him.  
The water teemed about her, spines poked and tore at her skin, but nothing was attacking her on purpose. There was no room in the confused mob of monsters. Rikku kept one hand on the sailor's guideline as she pushed and fuoght her way through, stabbing indescriminately at any fish part that got in her way. She had to fight to hold her breath as the monsters bumped and battered against her chest. she kicked her feet, more boosting herself along against the monsters than actually swimming. Pyreflies swarmed from the dead monsters and blocked her vision, the rope was slick with fish slime then in a rush, stillness. Rikku swam down, out the bottem of the mass as it clung to the ship, The sailor was drifting below her, unconcious it looked. Rikku swam the last few feet to him and gathered him in one arm. she turned to head back to the surface. The wall of monsters above made her stop. No way she could get herself and the sailor back up through that. There was no way to get past them unless... Rikku shuddered once in the warm water, but didnt' give herself time to think about it. Spending precious air she burbled out the words to a spell underwater, hoping it counted as casting. With one arm on the sailor she couldn't gesture for anything. It worked, as well as any of her spells ever did. Little shimery yellow orbs surroudned her and the sailor, one each. rikku dug in her pouch as she kicked back up towards the mass. Pausing at the edge she cinched her eyes closed and pressed the release on her electro-grenade.  
Lightning coursed out from the device, finding the perfect medium in the water it raced out much farther than normal. Fish thrashed and exploded in showers of light, the whole mass seeming to shiver as a single entity before breaking up. Rikku's spell did work, the little null orbs soaking up the electricity, protecting her and the sailor; mostly. Rikku still coudln't cast spells that strong yet, and it gave out just a moment too early. Jolts of electricity danced along Rikku's limbs, forced her spine to wrench, and shot the last of the air from her lungs in a breathless scream. She wanted to black out, it hurt so much, the tingles all but cut out her senses. But a sharp tug on the sailor's lifeline brought her back. Rikku forced her legs to move, kicking, pushing. The fish were gone, just a few more feet. The sailor was pulled from her arm and Rikku had only her own power to get tothe surface. It shimered above her, the light inches away. So close. And her legs wouldn't move. Rikku paniced, trying to push with her hands, but she was starting to sink back down. She felt her fingertips break the surface, but it wasn't enough. Pain dug it's fingers in on her. there was that last press for life, then the odd thought she might finally get to see Tidus again as her limbs went blissfully numb, her eyes closed and a tunnel opened up before her. Sparks dances along the corners of her vision, pyreflies guiding her to the farplane? Rikku moved towards the end of the tunnel, she wasnt' walking, it was more like floating, and so warm. She coudl almost see what was past the tunnel's end, just a few more inches.  
Something grabbed her by the neck. It tugged, drawing her back. Rikku struggled against it, she tried to shout but the darkness of the tunnel filleld her moth and burned in her lungs. She couldn't resist it, she was tugged back hard again, then the darkness broke around her.  
Wet, She was wet, and air.. Rikku opened her mouth and a great gasp of air surged into lungs still soaked with water. A coughing fit followed along with the sensation of motion.  
"Twice in one day hero. Guess this is why heros have sidekicks." The deep voice felt far off to her ears. Rikku shook her head, her vision clearing. She was set down on her feet, almost fell right off but staggered once and ran into something solid,"Careful now." The grip on her neck left and Rikku looked up to see Janko's wry half smile,"You're getting my coat wet."  
Rikku stepped back, still uneasy on her feet. She raised a hand, quite intent on shaking it at him along with a biting remark. Instead it was clamped over her mouth as she rushed to the rail again to empty saltwater along with most of what she'd eaten today from her stomach.  
"The monster, it's closing!" That voice was clear enough in her ears, and rikku swallowed back one last gag to look back towards where the giant monster had been. It was closer, a good fifty yards closer, less than two hundred to go.  
"Got another miracle in ya today hero?" anko slapped Rikku on the back, nearly knocking her off the ship again, then squared off against the beast. Rikku stood on shakey knees, moving up beside him.  
"If it hits us, this ship is toast." Janko noted helpfully. Rikku swallowed back the burning in her throat and croaked,"Then, let's stop it before it gets here." Rikku tugged a floating mine from her pouch, armed and threw it. It hit the water and bounced twice before exploding.. too soon. The spray threw water up across the hard scales of the beast, nothing more. Beside her Janko was chanting.  
"Born from the depths of hell, Eternal heat that consumes without mercy. FIRAGA!" he reared back and threw the spell, an orange blast that arced out and managed to hit the beast, exploding along it's hardened scales, but leaving no serious dammage. "This ain't gonna be pretty." He began chanting again and Rikku got out another weapon, she didn't know which, and at this point it didn't matter. The thing had closed again, easily inside one fifty now. Rikku lobbed as Janko cast, spells exploded, grenades burst, each doing no more than the first assaults had. The thing was getting closer, and Rikku was almost glad, her arms felt like lead, she didnt' even have time for the small cure spell she knew. Rikku shook the mixture of brine and sweat from her eyes and threw again. This time something happened; Janko's latest spell, a thundara, hit the grenade right over the beast's face. The explosion ripped through the air louder than either could have managed, and the beast opened it's maw, bellowing in pain.  
"That's it!" Rikku cheered,"Get ready with another spell, launch it when I say." Rikku fished out her biggest remainnig weapon... a stone grenade, no very nispiring. Still make do right? She primed it,"on my mark.." she counted off in her mind,"one.. Two.." The beast opened it's maw again, this time a blast of water flew out, striking Rikku full in the chest. It blasted her back aganist the cabins and knocked the grenade from her fingers. Rikku forced her eyes to focus and managed to kick the grenade off the deck and into the water. Whatever it had hit her with was sticky, it clung to her clothes and moved only with cracks and crinkling sounds. She heard Janko speaking, felt him hunkered down beside her, 'did he ever raise his voice?' some part of her mind wondered. she saw the beast, looming so close now. The paniced cries of the sailors. Magic and Machina... it took both... both to. Rikku gave one more push. She felt the surge of energy that accompanied near death. This time there was nothing in her way, no morass of water to hodl her back. Rikku reached into her pouch and tugged out one of her new inventions. The weapon clamped onto her hand as she pulled it out. Rikku chanted softly to it in al behd as she raised it. A spell she had tried working out herself. Neither it nor the weapon could so much on their own. Together Rikku hoped they'd do more.  
"Hey ugly, have some of this!" Rikku aimed, and let loose. The spellblaster revved up and spat out a volley of magic generated bullets. The ammo streaked out at the beast , impacting and ripping past it's armoured scales. Rikku kept firing, tracing great rents across it's body and over it's head. Both eyes exploded under the onslaught, Pyreflies streaming out past the monster like some horrible parody of tears. Fnialyl her energy gave out and Rikku dropped back to the deck. The spellblaster clattered to the floor beside her, but Rikku smiled. The beast was falling back, she'd done it. It drifted back out, to a full fifty yards back then began to roll.  
"Oh come on! No fair!" Rikku whined exhaustedly as a second pair of eyes rolled above water. It's healthy second face now topside, the moster closed once more. "Janko.. I got nothin' left.." she warned,"sorry..."  
"S'allright hero. Let's see if I can't at least earn my keep on this trip." Janko stood back up and walked to the back rail. He hefted a harpoon that had been abandoned on the deck and braced himself. Rikku felt that same energy that bled off when Tidus did his Blitz Rush, or Yuna called one of her big summons. He launched the harpoon with a loud yell (so he did raise his vocie after all!) The weapon flew true and struck the beast square in the middle of the face. it hung there almost comically for a moment; Janko spread his arms wide,"Pyre.... Spike!" HE yelled, thrusting his hands foreward as light exploded from them. Dozens, no, hundreds fo pyreflies streamed from hsi outstretched hands, his mouth, his eyes. They swarmed to the harpoon, trailing down it and into the monster. The beast writhed, surged, and it's skin began to boil, crawling from within as the pyreflies burrowed through it. Finally the white stream ebbed, Janko sank to one knee on the deck as the monster gave one last howl then exploded, a ball of light washing through the air and drifting out away from the ship."Well, looks like that's got it." Janko mrrmrred before pitching foreward onto one shoulder, then rolling over onto his back on the deck.  
'What was that?' Rikku wanted to say it, but her lips weren't moving. It had looked almost like, an unsent? Who else was swarming with pyreflies? Rikku had even more questions, but right now no voice for them. the crew crowded in around her and Rikku remembered only vaguely being taken back to her room and a few weak cure spells being cast over her before she passed out.  
  
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chapter 1, and they didn't get nearly as far as I expected in their trip. ah well. Honest I plan on having more characters, they just have to GET to them. Review please, let me know if I'm doing any kind of a good job!  
  
Hope this clarifies the plot a little more, oh and somethign for the gamer- dorks(oh me me I'm one too!)  
  
Unlock New Ability! Rikku--Prime Limit Break! Spellblaster Conditions:Character must have a limit bar and be at critical health Effects:10-30 non-elemental magic hits spread among all available enemies.  
  
Unlock New Ability! Janko--Limit break! Pyrespire Effects:non-elemental magical dammage to target enemy based on users remaining HP and MP. Comes with dammage limit break automatically. Leaves user at critical health level. 


	3. Ship Shape

Hmm no one's reviewed, I wodner if that means it's bad, or what.. ah well I'll keep writing, blithely unaware of my mistakes! Legal bits to follow  
  
I don't own FFX, nope, not even a ltitle bit, I don't even own stock in Square-Enix, though maybe I should look into it...  
  
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Chapter 2:Ship Shape  
  
Sleep was a welcome and frequent visitor the next few days. Rikku's mind fumbled up questions between the sleeps, but her body still was brooking no arguement that rest was required. The crew brought her meals to her cabin, and let her know the crewman she'd saved was okay, frazzled by the lightning and waterlogged, but okay. Janko was fine too it seemed, but he hadn't come to see her yet. She was actually grateful for that, she still needed time to organize her questions.  
Eventually she just couldn't sit in bed anymore. Her twitchiness pushed her to get up, besides, they'd arrive soon if she had kept track of days right. Rikku sat up, catching her sheets around herself as she reached for her clothes. Her fingers froze just as they touched the brown leather of her vest. Rikku bit her bottem lip and let out a small wimper before snatching the garment up and reaching inside it. There, in the inside pocket she'd sewn in over her heart. Rikku drew out her treasured photograph, wimpering again as she saw the state it was in. The whole thing was rippled, wrinkled by the water, and some of the colors were blurred horribly across the image. Rikku told herself she could still make out Tidus'es picture, if she squinted, he was still right there in the middle of the picture, posing and smiling. Rikku carefully set the photo on her little bedtable and smoothed it out as best she could. When one brush of her hand tore a litle corner off it Rikku stopped and tucked the photo back into it's pocket. Putting her her vest she felt it's presence against her skin, no matter what condition it was in, it was still her reminder of Tidus. Dressed and as ready to face the day as she could be, Rikku opened her door and headed up on deck.  
She'd been right about being close, Bevelle was only a line across the hroizon right now, but in a few more hours they'd be docking. Crewmen waved to her as she walked by; Jerg, Yannu, Letz, Geeni. They'd been the ones bringing her food, Rikku covered a giggle as she thought of their well meaning attempts at flirting.  
Janko was sitting out on the prow of the ship, one leg crossed over the rail. He was facing out over the prow, away from her. As Rikku stepped closer she heard a soft mournfull melody drifting about in the air. She paused, listening to the slow whistfull tone for a few moments. It was a sound unlike she had ever heard before, there was a breathless drawn out quality to each tone, and sometimes it seemed two notes were sliding forth at the same time. Rikku found herself giving in to a slight sway in time with the tune, images of her time on Yuna's pilgramage drifting through her thoughts; each image a happy one yet all painted with the blue hue of the knowledge that it could not, would not last.  
The song ended, but the voice that replaced it kept that same soft lolling sound,"Morning Rikku, glad to see you up and about."  
Janko's greeting woke Rikku from her revirie, though her words were slow in coming,"'Morning Janko." she settled for, pulling herself from the fog of her memories.  
He turned, a relaxed smile on his face and a small instrument in his hand. Rikku recognized it as a 'harmonica' a strange old intrument that few people could play right. He tucked it away inside his coat and turned fully on the railing to face her,"Sorry for not checking in on you. Just thought you might want peace while you were healing."  
"Yeah, thanks." the music had set Rikku off her pace. She couldnt' barrage him with questions without breaking that gentle calm that hung in the air. "So, um, you're looking like you recovered too." She tugged on her gauntlet, adjusting what didn't need adjusting.  
"Yeah." he smiled back at her,"Just needed a bit of a rest. Been a while since I did anything like that."  
"Speaking of that..." Rikku led into the question she really wanted to ask,"what WAS that? I mean, with the pyreflies." Rikku had a hunch, but she hoped she was wrong.  
Janko shifted to the side and patted the rail,"c'mon, take a seat. I'll tell you what I can without confusing both of us."  
Rikku hesitated a moment then climbed up on the rail. Janko turned as she did, so they both faced out over the water again,"so...?" she prompted, kicking her feet as they hung out over the water.  
There was a quiet moment, filled only with the lapping of water against the ship's bow, and the soft foot treds of crew moving about on deck. "Y'think I'm an unsent?" Janko asked eventually, that slow lazy tone draining much of the bite from the statement.  
"Well, it, I've traveled with one before. Sir Auron was an unsent, but he was still one of my dear friends. So, if you are it's not like I wouldn't travel with you, I just, want to know, ya know?" Rikku felt herself getting faster as she spoke. She hated it; talking like a kid. She'd begun to notice it in herself more, and every time resolved to be more grown up about things later.  
"Well, I'm not, not unless you can become one without diein'" Janko chuckled,"nah, I'm somethin' else. Problem is," He reached out and flipped Rikku's bangs, which made her look at him, a touch of anger in her gaze, quickly lost when she saw how serious he looked,"If I told ya what I am right out, everything else I said or did, would be that much harder to believe." Janko shrugged his shoulders,"Just find out for yourself, in time. I'll give ya hints.. kinda like a game." He gestured in the air with a hand,"Heck, if you guess right. I'll give ya a prize, anything you want."  
Rikku put on a skeptical look, but inside her curiosity was squirming,"umm, guess? Well, I don't know, so, you're not a human then?" She edged a touch closer, squinting, looking for any telltale sign on that bemused face of his.  
"Heh, well, no I guess strictly speaking, I'm not. That's your first hint, or, maybe your second I guess."  
"Second?" Rikku narrowed her eyes,"what was the first?"  
"ah ah ahh.." Janko waggled a gloved finger in front of her,"That you'll have to figure out yourself. Can't have you guessing right away now can I?" He reached out to tap her on the nose with that fingertip. Rikku wrinkled her nose as he spoke,"Now, your turn I think little hero, tell me something about you. S'only fair."  
"About me? whatcha wanna know?" Rikku rubbed her nose, casting a dubious glance at her traveling partner.  
"you want to know what I am." Janko continued, either missing her look or ignoring it,"How about telling me what you are?"  
That took the look right off Rikku's face,"What I am? That's kind of a silly question isn't it? I'm an al behd."  
"That's all?" Janko turned back out over the water again, breaking eye contact,"I figured there was a bit more to you than that."  
Rikku turned too, but leaned foreward, trying to catch his eyes again, confused,"More? Like what?"  
"Well." Janko tugged on a splinter in the rail, snapping off a small bit of the wood and tossing it down into the water below,"You're one of the heros of the land, you beat Sin. You're a mechanic, and a brave fighter. From the look you get in your eyes now and then, I'd say you're a hopless romantic too, or at least, thinking about a hopeless romance." Janko's tone was ever gentle as he spoke, but his words dug into Rikku.  
"Oh." she felt a bit of a chill, nerves and a touch of fear,"That stuff." She bit her bottem lip, but wasn't quite able to catch a nervous half giggle half sob that burbled up,"You know, no one's ever really asked me about that kind of stuff before. Not about me."  
Janko glanced back at her, for once a slight look of surprise on his face. Rikku knew he could see the look on her face, she couldn't hide it. The trepidation at telling anyone, much less someone she barely knew about herself. Rikku swallowed again, but her lips still shook a touch,"I wouldn't know where to begin."  
Surprise softened into concern as Janko spoke,"Well." he said softly, turning to face Rikku a little more clearly,"could start with.... ifyou'reticklish!"  
Rikku's world exploded into twitching fits, and laughs rippling up through her throat, Janko's hands found ticklish spots on her sides, belly, knees; she couldn't squirm in a way to protect all of herself..  
"Hey! hee Stop it! *giggle* Janko, knockit haha off!" Rikku got a hand between them and pushed, not that it did much good, he was relentless. The ticklefest eventually lost them both their balance, and they fell foreward, for one brief moment laughter turned to terror as Rikku envisoned hitting the water then being struck by the boat. But her fall stopped with a jolt, strong arm's round her waist as she hung, upside down. Rikku looked down(up?) along herself to see Janko grinning up at her from just past her chest. His arms wrapped around her waist and one leg hooked just over the rail. His glasses swung precariouly before his eyes, so close to taking a dive of their own; still he smiled,"Or, we *could* just hang out for a while."  
"Oooo, you..." Rikku gave him a light bop on the head, which caused his glasses to sway even further... his hair felt like feathers almost as much as it looked like it...."so, how do we get out of this mess you've got us into?"  
"Well." Janko dropped his voice to sound mock-serious,"My plan involves two parts. The second part is tossing you up in the air, and you sommersaulting gracefully and landing on the ship's deck, then me pulling myself up."  
"The second part?" Rikku was almost afraid to ask,"what's the first part?"  
"A Raspberry."  
"A Rasp? *Aieee!*" Rikku let out a squeel and squirmed again as Janko found the skin left bare between her vest and shorts and made good on his plan. Another laugh left her lips then she was airborne. Water, Ship, Sky, all spun before her briefly as she tumbled in the air. Rikku caught her bearings, adjusted her spin the next time she caught sight of the ship, and landed neatly on her feet on the deck.  
Rikku was waiting when Janko hauled himself back up over the railing. She gave him a poke in the chest,"You know I otta..." Seh started, but the impish grin he gave her made it hard to stay mad. Plus, some part of her mind pointed out she hadn't laughed that hard in a long time. "You.. you'll get yours." Rikku promised, giving his chest another poke, mm muscles, his arms had been strong too, why did he allways wear that big bulky coat?,"Now, go pack that small huose you call a backpack, we should be ready to go when the ship docks." With that Rikku spun on her heel and marched off, feelign she'd reclaimed at least a little of the initiative.  
  
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Man, I don't get nearly as far as I expect to, ever. Ah well, Bevelle will be brief hopefully, Mt. Gagazet holds the third main charachter of this story, plus, you know who's gonna do a brief cameo there!  
  
If you're reading, please give a review, even two words to let me know someone thinks my stuff is worth muddling through ;) 


	4. Bevelle and Beyond

A couple reviews! woo! That's the stuff that keeps people writing you know!  
  
I'm not sure if I should call this a sort of tikku story, since Rkiku is thinking about Tidus all the time, it's not exactly.. ah well.  
  
Lainnavi01 Sam Rick  
  
Thanks to you for the reviews!  
  
I know there's alot of typos here, I have a mild dyslexia, and not enough time to spellcheck if I wanna get this thign out before I go to bed, maybe I'll fix it up later.  
  
Oh, and befor I forget, I don't own FFX, yadda yadda you know the drill. _______________________________________________________________________  
  
Chapter 3: Not so Calm Lands  
  
Bevelle had not changed much since she had been here last. It was large, loud, and eyes followed her everywhere she went. People held their tounges normally, but she could feel them watching her, staring at her eyes. She knew they saw her as an al behd, an outsider, a heretic who had helped overthrow the church. So many secrets had yet to be told, and probably never would be, and so she just hunched her shoulders and walked quickly. It was alot eaiser than normal, the crowds made way, instead of pushing she was able to just focus on her destination. The reason for the ease was Janko, he had 'taken point' on their walk through the bustling streets, and people made way around his brusque powerful form almost naturally. As they walked he looked back ver his shoulder and Rikku was struck again by the passive calmness that never seemed to leave his gaze, "Hey, I know I can get us where we're going through these people but... where are we going?" He put on a smile and rikku found herself smiling back.  
"Just keep going straight, unless you need anything?" she replied,"I don't know what all you have in this... I'd say offhand everything." She poked his oversized backpack which shifted and emitted a dull sound of metal on metal helpfully.  
"Nah," Janko shrugged his shoulders, shifting the pack on his back,"Sooner we get to the mountain, sooner I get on to the next part of this trip."  
"So, what is the next part of the trip?" Rikku asked, blithely sliding over the fact that she wasn't going to let him go on it without her.  
"Well." Janko's voice quieted down and Rikku had to quicken her pace, leaning to try and hear him while still remaining in his wake,"Have to get back to the start. Something did this, a long time ago. It's just taken this long for something as big as the source of magic to show the signs of disruption. Problem is, it's allready way out of balance, not something you can just fix here and now. It took alot of messing to get it tweaked off kilter in the first place, and THAT took a long long time to show the effects. The top's spinning too far out of balance for any ammount of energy to fix I think."  
"Um... right, you're not making a whole lotta sense, ya know?" Rikku scratched her chin, trying to work her head around Janko's explanation.  
Janko was silent for a moment,"think of it like the airship. By the time it's crashing, it's too late to really DO much about it crashing isn't it?"  
"Oh." That made more sense,"Why didn't you just say that in the first place?" Rikku poked Janko's pack again.  
"Haven't been 'round machina in a while, just not used to thinking along those lines. So, it's the calm lands right after we leave this place? Think we can make it across them before dark?"  
Rikku cast a look skyward, it was allready early afternoon. "probably not, and you really don't wanna camp out there, ya know? The monsters are all kinds of trouble. But we can camp right past the town. There's a little clearing and a po.." Rikku's throat tightened as she thought of that place,"On.. second thought, I think I forgot something, we should go back to the market. We can camp at ngiht anyway. Noneedtostaytherelong." Rikku felt herself speeding up as she talked but couldn't stop. She swallowed, but the thickness stuck in her throat, that's where she had seen Tidus and Yuna. Her gaze went to her feet, Rikku bonked herself in the head, shaking it to try and clear out the memory,"stupid stupid rikku..." she whispered under her breath. She sniffed, taking a deep but shakey breath to calm herself... and ran right into Janko.  
"nnnff." Rikku staggered back a step, casting a confused look up at him. His gaze was concerned, and almost comically fatherlike as he looked at her over his glasses, fatherlike didn't suit him well,"Hey." he gave Rikku a nudge with one gloved hand,"Something's been digging at you for a while now. I'm not stupid." Rikku felt the flush kick back up in her face again. That deep gnawing in her belly, she really didn't want to think about this anymore. Rikku shuffled her feet under that gaze. She supposed she had to talk to someoen about it,"well.."  
Janko held up his hand,"When you're ready, don't push yourself, just know I know, and by younnkowing I know we both know that when you know the time is right you'll know that you can let me know what's bothering you, ya know?" his expression shifed to less and less serious as he spoke, and he finished by doing his best at mimicing Rikku's own trademark ending to her sentences. (he wasn't all that good at it, but the thought was there)  
Serious to silly without the slightest pause, Rikku still knew she'd have to face the pond, and taklign about her worries, but the bite of it was gone. She smiled up at Janko and impullsively threws her arms around him in a quick hug. Rikku let go and backed up a step before he could respond to the spontaneous show of affection. "We can get some food, and I should stock up one s'more grenades if I can fnid them anywhere around here." Rikku reached in her pouch and counted her gill, feeling the coins with her fingers so she didn't have to pull them all out,"Though I'm not sure how much I can get with what we've got left."  
"not a problem." Janko reached behind himself, tugging a large, non- magical pouch from the side of his pack and throwing it to Rikku,"Wehn the monster died, the Ship's captain had the presence of mind to stop and send out divers. He took a cut for himself, but there was still plenty of treasure in that thing's belly. We should be set."  
Rikku opened the pouch and whistled,"Wow, you're right.." there were gems and other gold bits in among a healthy ammuont of gil. Well it had been a pretty big fiend."Hey, I'll hold onto this, no need for you to carry so much on that thing." Rikku opened her pouch and poured all the loot in. The magic kept her pouch from overflowing, so she could close it easily and pat it, handing the normal and now empty one back to Janko,"here ya go."  
"heh, hope we don't regret that.." Janko said cryptically,"So, let's go blow some hard earned money eh?"  
  
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A few hours and several thousand gil later Rikku was looking at herself in a three way mirror, checking out her new outfit. She'd decided to change her outfit, too many meories with her old travelign clothes. Janko's also warned her that if she was bent on following him, she'd better have something a bit more sturdy. She'd endured the stares and glowers her al behd eyes got her and picked through several stores. Now she thought she had it set. It was a full overhaul. Only her trusty gauntlet blade was the same. She had a mesh black tank top to replace her leather one. The mesh was thick and had alot of open spaces, it'd have been indecent if nto for the personal touches she put on it. Ceramite, a new form of armour she'd been working on. Clasps on the back of the plates fit nicely on the top's mesh. Her chest was fully protected along with her shoulders and her arm above her weapon, down to the elbow. Rikku had left the ceramite it's natural dull beige for now, she'd decorate it later. Her other arm was completely bare except for her fingerless glove and the green armband she'd gotten from Brother many years ago, that would make casting spells easier. Only the lattice of her tank top covered her back, leaving her no real protection or coverage, but Rikku didn't plan on running away often, and, well, it was kinda cute. Rikku turned, checking out her pants. Yep, pants. Tight mind you. She gave her backside a playfull slap,"Can't be hiding this now can I?" she asked her reflection. Light beige to go with the armour of her top. Skin tight, and slit down the sides leaving several inches of skin visable from her waist to her boottops. Black leather laces crisscrossed over the gap, keeping the pants a single garment. The well picked color made it difficult totell at the right angles where her skin stopepd and the pants started. Knee high black boots finished her outfit, not big old klunklers like yuna had worn. Sweet, tight, black elather that modled to her calves,"ooo Rikku, you got it going on! Who needs to wait a few years?" Rikku spun in place, her hair loosely fanning out behind her. She'd undone her braids, wanting to change that too, but unable to decide for now exactly what to do with it. Rikku eyed her chest skeptically as she posed in the mirror, sliding her hands over the form fitting armored plates,"you know, I don't think you guys will ever match up to Lu Lu." She lamented.  
"then somehow I doubt Lu Lu would have had the balance to do a tripple sommersault onto a ship's deck."  
Rikku let out a startled yelp, and spun to see Janko leaning on a clothing rack nearby. How did he ALLWAYS startle her? But that wasn't what her mind focused on. He'd gotten new clothing too. And in her mind it was a definate improvement. Gone was that big ratty overcoat. In its place was a white pullover shirt, stretched across Janko's broad shoulders it emphasized his mesomorphic torso. Sinious golden Dragons wove themselves across the collar, arms, and sides of the shirt as well. Each of his lapels had a silver pin on it. Rikku recognized one as the first letter in the holy alphabet of Yevon, but the other she didn't know. The thougth maybe it was another letter, but she had never studied the scriptures, they were all junk anyway. His forearms were covered by bracers, leading down into... those same old gloves he'd worn before. Rikku couldn't be sure he'd changed much else. He HAD been wearing that overcoat before. Black pants, black boots with metal shin guards down to the ankle, and metal plates hanging from a thick belt around his waist, protecting his thighs and groin. All in all, Rikku thought, it was a much cooler look than before. She wasn't about to let him know that now though.  
"How long you been standing there?" she asks accusingly, determiend not to blush this time.  
"Long enough to appreciate it, not long enough to want to stop." he never missed a beat. Rikku was hoping one of these days to catch him in a situation liek this, it wasn't fair he allways got the drop on her.  
"Well, looks like you got a new outfit too, you look more like a warrior now. I thought you were a mage? You really only used magic in our fight, ya know?"  
Janko straightened up from the rack and glanced down at his clothes,"yeah, well, looking the part can sometimes avoid a fight. You ready?" he motioned towards the clerk and Rikku nodded,"Yep, I think I have everything." She reached into her pouch, which was at her waist now and pulled out... "Eep!" Rikku stuffed the pair of panties back into the pouch, and dug around pulling out... a grenade... a pair of pliers, a toothbrush,"hey what gives.." Rikku kept pulling out the wrong things, and stuffing them back, each time thinking of the money she wanted to get out to pay. Only at about the twentieth try did she get the gil she was looking for,"What the heck?" Rikku examined her magical pouch, not that it gave any signs or reason for it's rebellion.  
"Yep, figured that'd happen." Janko reached down, scooping the straps of his pack up in one hand then swinging the large thing onto his back,"Those things are magic, and are going to becmoe as unpredictable as everything else soon. I suppose I should watch what spells I cast untill we get to Mt. Gagazet." He bounced the pack once on his back,"Good thing I got enough food for both of us now isn't it?" he quipped.  
"But my things..." Rikku looked forlornly down at her pouch.  
"We get stuff setright and everythign will be fine. Untill then, I'd try and pick out what you need, and carry it on your person. We can make another stop if you need to."  
"Nah." Rikku glanced out at the waning light, well, she couldn't put it off forever,"We'd better get going, gotta get to the campsite before nightfall."  
"Only one tent left I guess." Janko winked at her, with a leer so exagerrated it could only be a joke,"Ahh dno't worry, I like sleepin' under the stars."  
  
* * *  
  
The night air was crisp, an early autumn spred it's chill as the sun set. Rikku poked at the fire with a stick as Janko spent his time setting up the tent. Glancing his way she bet he was sorry for giving up his overcoat now, though he didn't show any signs of noticing the chill. Now was the time, Rikku knew it, while he was busy. She'd go check in on the pond quick and be back before he noticed. She wasnt' sure why she wanted to go see it, but, some part of her just wouldn't let it go.  
Rikku set the stick down, slowly stood up, and took off down the path as light as her booted feet could. She was known for being sneaky, and for good reason. After a few quick moments of a light jog Rikku slowed, remembering the last time she had wandered down this path. Yuna had wandered off, idus had followed Yuna, and she had followed Tidus when everyone else was distracted. She had snuck to the pond then too, not really understanding why. She didn't know she would find what she did... no, Rikku had to admit to herself, she did know what she would find; she just wanted to be wrong. She had seen Yuna and Tidus, embraced closely, heard the laughter and the tears they shared, and knew right then she wasn't going to have any chance at Tidus herself.  
Rikku came out of her reverie at the edge of the pond. The waters were still, a quiet mirror reflecting her image. It wasn't the image of the girl who'd been here last time. Only a few months seperated the two images, but Rikku could see every day of it. Her hair hung loose around her face as she crouched down, touching her fingertips to the water and setting it rippling. That was different, and so was her clothing, but really, the real difference was the eyes. She'd seen her home destroied, and really knew what that meant now. she hadnt' really had tiem to adjust to it last time she was here. She'd lost not one, but two friends, really lost them, dead. Last time here she was still hopeful she could avoid the death of her long lost cousin. She felt older, alot older than only a few months could account for. the rippled shifted and bounced her reflection across the surface of the water and Rikku sunk fully to her knees. "When did I lose my smile?" she asked the water, brushing her fingers over it again,"When did I stop looking forward to tomorrow?" Rikku knew the answer; the same day she lost him. Carefully Rikku slipped the damamged photo out from under the armored plate over her heart. She held it in her hands, staring, for how long she didn't know.  
"Now seems like a good time, doesn't it?"  
Rikku didnt' jump this time, Janko's voice didn't really startle her, it just slipped right into her train of thought. "I guess." she responded, her tone quiet and melancholy. Janko settled himself down on the bank beside her, one gloved hand on her shoulder,"at your leisure, it's your story." The words wern't mocking, just an honest concern. Rikku started slowly at first, halting and nervous. But as it all came out, the narrtive sped like a river, the words battling to come out, her chest tight with them. Meeting Tidus, trying to stop her cousin's pilgramage, then joining it. All the work to keep Yunie alive, while all of them were blithely unaware of the cost winning held. All except Tidus, and Auron.  
"I think.." she continued ,"Ya know, I could've lived with, him and Yunie. I mean, it hurt, but they were happy and I was happy they were happy. But then he was gone, Yunie didn't have him, I didn't have him, he was just gone. No more smiles, no more friendly chats, no more adventures." rikku sniffed, and without thinking leaned. Her shoulder bumped into Janko's, and his arm encircled her loosely. He hadn't said a word yet, just listened quietly, which she was grateful for. Tears threatened her once more but Rikku bit the tiip of her tounge, fighting them back,"so.. so now I'm here.. and I don't really know why."  
Janko reached out and carefully plucked the picture from Rikku's hands. He held it up, examing the marred surface for himself,"first lvoes are a powerfull thing. They allways shape you, for the rest of your life. They dont' allways work, some seperated by space, some time, and some simply by growing apart." he brushed his fingers over the picture, as if clearing away dust,"But good or bad, you should never forget them. They're precious." He turned the picture back to her and Rikku gasped, it was back! The image was there, clear as when she'd first taken it. Even the little corners were no longer torn. Her hands trembled as she took it back,"How, how did you do that?"  
Janko tilted his head, a peculiar little look on his face, a kindly sort of smile that seemed far off,"do what?" he asked, picking up a stone from between them and rolling it over in his fingers.  
Rikku tackled him, this time he DID move, getting bowled over as she hugged him,"Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" Rikku felt the photo in her hand as she hugged him, carefull not to wrinkle it again no matter how much her fingers wanted to squeeze. For no reason she could fathom, she began to cry. It was a serious cry, not just some weepy sniffles. The tears pushed out, and shook her as they left, thick sobs of emotion purged from and through her. Rikku burried her face against Janko's shoulder, soaking his new shirt. Strong arms were around her again when she finally felt nothing left inside of her to cry out. One hand was brushing through her hair and Rikku felt... safe. Was this what Yuna had felt? Rikku sat up slowly, and the arms slid away, letting her go. She carefully tucked the photo away with one hand whiel smoothing out her tear marks on Janko's shirt. His eyes followed her every move but he was silent again. Quiet, but just.. there, and that helped alot. "Thank you." Rikku whispered, the words feeling very inadequate.  
"No worries." Janko folded his hands behind his head, his eyes going from her up to the stars,"Everyone needs a hand now and then, even the helpers."  
Rikku shifted around, sitting propped up on her hands as she leaned back, looking up at the stars too. "So, what was your first love like?"  
"Don't know." Janko's voice was quiet and distant,"haven't yet."  
"What?" Rikku gave him a sidelong glance,"c'mon there has to be someone."  
"Nope. Allways been a loner. You know, by myself in a crowd, or just by myself. Never really had it happen to me. Letchca know when it does okay?"  
Rikku just let the air carry the sounds of the forest for a few minutes before she replied softly,"I think, I'd like that."  
When she didn't get an answer Rikku looked over, Janko was asleep, hands still tucked behind his head. Rikku watched him for a moment, the slow breathing of his sleep reminding her own body of how tired she was. The campsite seemed miles away. Rikku turned onto her side, ducking her head down, tucking it against Janko's upper arm and shoulder. She curled against him, warm in the chill night air, and slept. _______________________________________________________________________  
  
There we go, another section done! I hope ya like it. Still nto to the mountain yet, and wil probably noly JUST getthere next time. I'm breaking it into smaller sections to be easier to read. Oh, and next chapter is from Janko's PoV, tiem to switxch perspective a little. This will mainly be a Rikku PoV story, but I like the changeup now and again. As alwlays R&R people, it only improves the story.  
  
Mostly, what do you think of the relationship between Rikku and Janko? Interesting how it's developing, and not easily classified,. Love? friendship? hard to say.  
  
Whatcha think of the changes to Rikku's looks? I thought it'd be a good sign of 'change' in her.  
  
anything else you wanna comment on? 


	5. Going Together

FFX is not owned by me, or anyone I know, a shame isn't it?  
  
Yes it's been forever, explanation below. Only other thing to say is this is an experiment in Janko's PoV, and I ask peopel to R&R, I need feedback to improve! _____________________________________________________________________  
  
Chapter 4:Going together  
  
The sound of birds woke Janko from his sleep the next morning. The pressure of a body beside his own greeted him before he even opened his eyes. Janko turned his head as his eyes opened and smiled at the sight that greeted him. Very carefully he slipped his shoulder out from under Rikku's head, then gathered her sleeping form up in his arms. She tucked back in against his chest when he lifted her and Janko could only shake his head in amusement. She certainly shed all the recent grief in her life when asleep  
Janko was careful not to disturb his sleeping guide as he packed up the unused tent and shouldered his pack. "Still out are we?" he mused as he stooped to pick Rikku up once more,"Wonder when the last time you had a good night's rest was."  
The morning was uneventful. Even not remembering the path, it was fairly easy to spot Mt. Gagazet across the Calm Lands. Fiends avoided him and his sleeping cargo as Janko hiked through the morning hours. It was mid afternoon and the canyon trail leading up to Mt. Gagazet loomed high by the time his cargo stirred again.  
"Mrrnmm, wassat?" Rikku slowly uncurled herself from his chest, letting otu a small 'Eep!" as she realized where she was. Janko set her carefully on her feet and stepped back. She toko a minute checking herself over and resmothing her nowunbound hair. Janko felt a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. For all the work she spent trying to act grown up, when she wasn't paying attention Rikku was a true girl through and through. The sheer simplicity and honesty of it was refreshing.  
"Good morning hero, or should I say good afternoon?"  
Rikku stomped her right foot lightly, hands at her sides,"Hey, you shoulda woken me up!" her lower lip was threatening to turn into a full blown pout.  
Janko held up his hands to defuse the oncoming tirade,"Sorry sorry. I just thought you could use some sleep, got a lot off your mind last night." Rikku's face fell just a touch as he brought up their conversation, time to bring her back up,"And hey.." he gestured past her,"it's not like even I could miss something like that." Rikku turned to look at the looming mountain then back. Janko timed her turn with a wry grin and a glance over his glasses, the look brought exactly the smile he was hoping for to her lips.  
"Well, okay, but, next time wake me up okay? So, we're gonna see the Ronzos?" Rikku turned and Janko fell in beside her as they continued into the canyon.  
"Yep, they have what we need to get to the next part of our journey."  
Rikku gave him a look, clever girl. "Our?" she asked, the hope high in her voice.  
"Yeah." Janko rubbed the back of his head, ruffling his fingers through his hair. He'd known he needed her from the beginning, just had to be sure if she was right for it,"If you still wanan go that is."  
"You bet!" Rikku bounced on her toes,"So, what are we gonna get from the Ronzos?" she asked with a sudden burst of enthusiasm.  
"A guide." Janko asked simply enough, baiting as allways. The more he let her worm bits out of him, the less it felt like he was using her.  
"Guide?" she replied as if on cue,"But I thought I was your guide?" Rikku rounded on him, green eyes looking up at him with a keen scrutiny even as she walked backwards.  
"You were, but where we have to go, only the Ronzos know the path. To be precise, only three Ronzos know it. The Loremasters."  
"Loremasters? I've never heard of the Ronzos havign anything like that" Rikku swing back around to walking foreward as they began the ascent from the base of the mountain.  
"Surprised the Ronzos keep secrets?" he countered,"The Loremasters are a well kept secret." He explained,"One old, one adult, one youth. They keep the oral histroy of the Ronzos, remembering things the rest of Spira has forgotten, protecting the hidden places."  
"Hidden places? Like what?" Rikku's voice was brimming with curiosity. Readjusting his pack Janko smield to himself, it was good to be useful for once.  
"We'll see when we get there. Gotta keep some secrets don't I? You'll get them all before we finish this quest then I'll just be boring." Janko Winked at the look he got from Rikku for that.  
"Yeah yeah." Rikku waved dismissively at his depreciating comment,"Well, maybe we'll get to see Kimarhi while we're here."  
  
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Okay this took forever to get out, and it's short, I'm sorry. I wanted to switch PoV just to see hwo it felt, but I cant' stay in Janko's PoV for too long without giving away more of the story! So it'll be back to Rikku during the next installment which should be sooner than this one. Between injuries illness and the release of Gladius(AMAZING game, WIN THE CROWD!) I have had zero time. 


	6. A New Guide

The Disclaimer's been on every chappie so far, I'm gonna start leaving it out, nothing's changed  
  
Yay a new Review and a complex one, I love those kinds! Heh, Janko and Rikku in love? Now there would be a spring.. next next next autumn relationship ;) but to say more would give away stuffs! And who says I wont' do that, Who says I won't bring back Tidus either? Gotta keep the audience guessing! Well on with the show.  
  
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Chapter6: A New Guide  
  
Rikku had to force herself not to skip the last few hundred yards towards the Ronzo encampments. The fact that the armor(on her new outfit was alot heavier than her old leather vest made it easier. but she couldn't wait to see Kimarhi again! Sure he could be wierd at times, but they'd been through alot together. He had actually been the one to give her good advice down under the ice after the ordeal with the Guado. 'Rikku should be Rikku' he had said, and it was something that had taken her a while to figure out.  
As they approached the gate guards one rose from his hunkered down position,"HAlt! Who goes there?"  
Rikku spoke up first, surprised the Ronzo couldn't tell her by sight,"I'm Rikku, and this is Janko, I'm a friend of Kimarhi's." She explained. That did have the desired affect as the guard became much more relaxed quickly, only to tense again when Janko's soft voice came from beside her,"We've come to speak to a loremaster. We need to be taken down to the unblinking eye."  
The Ronzo chuffed, and glanced at his fellow guard who had also risen. There was an uneasy silence before Rikku piped up again,"so... one of you going to tell Kimarhi we're here?"  
The words seemed to shake the Ronzo back to the present. The one who had spoken to them nodded,"We shall." He turned next to Janko,"and we will inform the elder of your... request." The guard turned and lept up onto a nearby ledge. A few more leaps and he dissapeared over the lip of the small gorge.  
"So, like, what's such a big thing that they got all upset when you asked about the Loremaster?" Rikku whispered to Janko while they waited.  
"Well, think if somenoe you didn't know came asking to see someone they werent' supposed to know existed, about something they're not supposed to know is here." he explained.  
"Oh." Rikku replied and kicked a look rock with her foot. More time passed before half a dozen Ronzos came leaping back down the cavern wall, among them was one she recognized,"Kimarhi!" She ran up to the ronzo and before he could protest threw her arms around him(or as far as they woudl go) in a big friendly hug of greeting. Rikku playdfully rubbed her cheek against his chestruff as he cleared his throat and emitted a low rumbley growl.  
"Kimarhi is happy to see Rikku too, but..."  
Rikku giggled and stepped back, reaching out a hand to smooth the fur she'd mussed,"that better?"  
Kimahri looked down at her hand then said with more humor than he often showd,"Some." He glanced at Janko before continuing,"What Brings Rikku to Mt Gagazet with new friend, and asking to see Loremaster, which she should not know of?"  
Rikku fidgeted a moment before answering,"Well, I don't know of it, or didn't untill just now. Janko here needed to get to Mt Gagazet, so I hired on as a guide. He says he knows what's making magic go all funny and we needed to come here to fix it." She explained. As the words left her mouth she thought they sounded alot dumber than they were. But to her relief and surprise Kimarhi only nodded,"Come with Kimarhi." He turned and lead the way up the bridge to the Ronzo encampment. As they walked other Ronzo would appear and vanish into caves along the path. Kicking at the snow and glad her clothnig was a little warmer this time than last Rikku tilted her head up towards Kimarhi.  
"So, whatcha been up to big guy?"  
Without looking down at her Kimarhi replied,"Kimarhi has been renewing ties."  
"Like with your family and stuff? That's cool. You never said much about 'em before ya know?"  
"Kimarhi has two sisters, and one brother. You will meet Kimarhi's brother soon."  
"Oh? Cool!" Rikku did a hop step in the snow,"So, do you like my new look?" she spun aroudn in front of Kimarhi so he had to look at her. The Ronzo's critical gaze swept over her, but he didn't break stride.  
"Kimahri thinks Rikku is still Rikku."  
"Heh, yep, still the same ole Kimarhi too!" Rikku hopped back into place and cast a look at Janko who had been quiet all this time. He was just following along, hands clasped in the small of his back and a small grin on his face.  
They finally turned off into one of the Ronzo caves that opened into a large cavern. Torches flickered at the wall illuminating the many Ronzos gathered allready. Rikku recognized the elder waiting for them in the middle of the group. Kimarhi stopped a respectfull distance from the elder and Rikku walked up beside him, with Janko comnig up on her other side. There was silent a moment as the venerable Ronzo studied them. Finally he spoke in his low gravelly voice.  
"One of you is known to us. The other is not. Yet your request has been long foretodl among the Ronzo. Still, one cannot trust Phrophecy blindly. Why should we trust one of our greatest treasures to you?"  
Rikku looked to Janko, who simply gave her a bit of a smile,"You wanted to come with me. You field this question." he old her in his quiet way.  
Rikku looked back to the Elder and swallowed, she gathered her reasoning and answered,"Well, you know I was noe of the peopel whofought sin, so you know I'm not a wuss or anything. Plus look at what's happening to the way magic works! I mean, if someone doesnt' stop it who knows what will happen? If someone is supposed to come and do this, and we're here I'd say that's reasno enough. No one else has come foreward to do it, and we don't know how much time we'll have right?"  
Rikku hoped she'd made sense. Words allways sounded so much better ni her head than when they left her mouth. There was barely the sound of Ronzo's shuffling aruond them as the Elder continued to scrutinize Rikku.  
"Well said." he replied,"The bravery to act is somethign Ronzo prize." he turned and called out,"Bring forth their guide!"  
The crowd parted and the strangest Ronzo Rikku had ever seen stepped out. Rikku wasn't even exactly sure he was a Ronzo. He wasn't huge like they normally were. Rikku doubted he was even 6' tall. He also didn't have a horn. It wasn't broken off like Kimahri's, it simply wasn't there! His fur was an almost violent shade of cobalt blue, and shot through with what looked like some kind of black tattoos. His eyes seemed far off, even as he looked at Rikku it felt more like he was looking past her. He was dressed in a short half-jacket of black with red designs similar to the tatoos underneath. Feather and bone fetishes hung from the jacket here and there, and further ones were tied into the thick tangle of his hair. His loincloth was likewise marked, and he carried no weapon that Rikku could see. After surverying her and Janko the Ronzo spoke in a rumbling baritone,"I am Gendal, youngest of the Loremasters. I shall be your guide to the unblinking eye, and all that may lay beyond it. As it was my brother's honor to protect Lady Yuna in her battle to save the world from Sin, so too am I honored to travel with you on this journey." Gendal clasped his hands together, hand over fist, and bowed to them.  
Suddenly feeling the need to be formal too Rikku straightened up and gestured to herself,"I am Rikku, Guardian and cousin to High Summoner Yuna. Daughter to Cid, chief of the Al-behd. I am glad to have you with us on this journey, and hope that we may prove worthy of your trust." Rikku let out a small breath, surprised at herself even for coming up with such a fancey sounding statement on the spot. The elder opened his mouth to speak but gently spoken words interrupted him.  
"I am known by many names, from many peoples. You may call me Janko, but you may know me perhaps as something else." Rikku's head whipped around so fast she felt a crink in her neck. Maybe this would be the cleu she needed to puzzle out what he was! Without looking her way he continued, his posture still quietly confident,"The Silence of Sorrows, The Gathering Storm, Ytheldesh Darkheart. All have been names given to me through the ages." There was a murrmurr among the Ronzos at this, though Rikku didnt' recognize any of them. Ages? How old was he?,"However, Janko was the first name given to me. It is the one I consider mine. Janko, Beastlord, The Red Handed Walker."  
Speaking that name was electrifying among the Rnozos. Low growls and raised hackles. but not anger, not a single one of them rose up to their full height. Instead they seemed to back a step or two away, some going so far as to hunker down and cast furritive looks to the cavern's enterance. All save Gendal, Kimarhi, and the Elder.  
"I started this quest." Janko continued, ignoring the reaction,"because, aside from your Loremasters I believe I am the only one who could even have a hope of knowing the cause. Still, I do not know every detail of what we must do. And as you know." Janko broguht his hands out from behind his back and spread them in a helpless shrug,"I can accomplish nothing for the good of spira on my own." with that he seemed satisfied. His hands returning to the small of his back.  
"If what you say is true..." The Elder examined JAnko through narrowed eyes.  
"It is." Gendal affirmed,"I could smell it upon him, but knew not the name for such a scent before now."  
The elder shot the young Loremaster a sharp look, but nodded,"Then, you must leave at once."  
  
* * *  
  
"What was that all about?" Rikku gave Janko a poke in the ribs as they followed Gendal down into yet more caverns. The Ronzo was leading the way with a torch, and seemed to be deep in thought, his head bowed now and again though he never misstepped even once.  
"All what?" Janko glanced over his glasses at Rikku.  
"all That, that 'Beastlord, and Red handed Walker stuff! What's all that me-*ooof*" Rikku had run headlong into Gendal who had stopped up short. The Ronzo turned, his eyes level with Rikku's own.  
"You do not know who you travel with?" he asked, and lokoed from Rikku to Janko and back again.  
"She knows better than you do most likely." Janko countered, gesturnig with noe gloved hand as he often did,"Legends, and dusty storiees arnt' exactly up with the times now are they?"  
"Some things do not change though." Gendal eyes Janko with a mixture of curiosity and wariness,"Not if the stories are true."  
"Some are, some arn't."  
"HEY!" Rikku felt the cnoversation passing over her head and pulled it back down,"so, like, maybe if you both know something I should be let in too?"  
Janko shrugged his shoulders,"That's a part of our game isn't it hero?" he winked at Rikku,"You gotta figure it out yourself. Trust what you know. Everything else is words, which are notoriously fickle."  
Rikku tilted her head,"But.. you know right?" she looked to Gendal,"you know what he is?"  
Gendal nodded,"I do, at least, I believe I do. I will not however, reveal what I know if he does not wish it."  
"Hmph.." Rikku crossed her arms, tired of being out of the loop.  
"Two stories." Janko held up two fingers, that playfull smile on his lips,"You can tell her any two stories, but she has to ask for them. And of course, tell the story straight, no embellishing or explanation. that's how you Loremasters do it, right?"  
Gendal nodded,"That is correct." He actually smiled for the first time, Ronzo smiles were allways a little spookey,"An interesting game you two have. I will play along."  
"Hey! now, come on! No fair picking on me!" Rikku fought not to pout, and managed it, just barely.  
"We should be quick, many fiends dwell in these caves. I sense a powerful one has entered recently. We do not want them to find us in their riled state. Gendal turned and continued the trek deep into the roots of the mountain. Janko shot his back a slightly annoyed glance then gave Rikku a smile and thumbs up,"C'mon you, we're almost to the end of our journey. From there, we get to the beginning!"  
"Beatcha plowpokes!" Rikku went to poke Janko in the back again and run past as she often did, except this time he slipped to the side, and her hand just barely berushed his arm. He winked at her as she swooped by him... then gave her backside a teasing swat.  
Rikku yipped in surprise. but kept stride, turning back to make a 'nyah' face at him. She poked Gendal in the back and sped by him too. The Ronzo gave her a baffled look as she raced, laughing, into the darkness before them. _______________________________________________________________________  
  
Finally! a new character introduced! More to be developed as things go on. Kimarhi makes a little appearence too! Rikku acting a bit more mature, and I wonder what's up with all of Janko's names? How old is this git? Direct any questions and such to the reviews section. I wanna know if anyone's actually curious about this stuff. 


End file.
